Clothes drier



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J. s. SHANKS CLOTHES DRIER Filed Deo. 2l. 1921 4ASheets-Shee1'. l

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April 22 1924.

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J. s. SHANKS CLOTHES DR I ER Filed DeC. 2l. 1921 NN bw atented Apr. 22, 19,24..

:man s. smmxs, oF CANTON, omo, assis-Non To THEUCANTCN CLoTHEs DRYER. COMPANY, or s'r COUNTY, CHIC, a Conromirion or omo.

CLOTHES DRIER Application led December 21, 1921. Serial No. 523,932.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that IJHN S. SHANKS,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Canton, county of Stark, and State of Ohio, have invented certain newpand useful Improvements in Clothes Driers, of which the following is a specification. Y

The invention relates to Cabinets containing means for heating and Circulating air in and through the cabinet for drying clothes and other articles therein; and the object of the improvement is to create a constant circulation of a large volume of uniformly heated air throughout the mte l5 rior of the cabinet for quickly drying the contents withoutburning or discoloring .the

same.

Such a cabinet is preferably made Vwith considerable height and Width as compared 2o to the depth, and when the same is heated by a gas burner or other intensive means, difficulty is experienced in overheating the cabinet in the region of the burner without suliciently heating the remote portions thereof; and difliculty is also experienced in circulating the heated air throughout all portions of the cabinet.

The 4 resent invention involves the use of a ra iator extending from end to end of the cabinet adjacent to the bottom thereof, a gas burner or other heating element in one end ofthe radiator, an air vent chamber below one end of the radiator receiving air from within the cabinet around the sides diator below the burner, inlet openings for receiving air through the bottom of the cabinet directl below the remainder of the radiator and electing means for directing heated air from over the burner toward the other end of the cabinet.

The invention also involves the use of an outlet flue for the radiator having a relatively large cross area for the movement of a considerable volume of air, with' inlet apertures in the side 'of the flue for automatically checking the fiow of air from the cabinet.

The improvement also includes features of construction to permit the cabinet to be made in comparatively small separable parts for transportation, which can be readily assembled at the point of use by an indiof the radiator and delivering it into the rail a bearing for the upright walls. apertures 22 are dprovidedl in the side Walls vidual workman to form a strong and rigid case or shell.

A preferred embodiment of the invention, in which a gas burner is used as a heating element, is illustrated iii the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, in which- Figure lis a front elevation of the cabinet with one door open, showing articles hanging therein for drying;

Fig. 2, a right end elevation of the cabinet with both doors closed;

Fig. 3, an elevation section of the cabinet on line III-III, Figs. 1 and 4;

Fig. l, an elevation section of the cabinet on line Ill-IV, Figs. 2and 3;

Fig. 5,a detached perspective view of the deflecting plate;

Fig. 6, 'a plan section on line VI-VI, Fig. 4f; and

Fig. 7, a plan section on line VI-VII, Fig. 4.

Similar numerals refer to Similar parts throughout the drawings.

The cabinet is preferably made of sheet metal'with a base frame 10 carryin a bottom wall 11 at an interval above t e supporting floor 12; end walls 13, back wall sections 14, a lower front wall section 15, upright door frame sections 16, front doors 17 above the front Wallsection, and a top frame 18 carrying a top wall 19.

The base 1() is preferably provided with an inturned flange 2O forming a footing resting upon the floor, and along the edges of the bottom 11 are shaped the rabbeted shoulders 21, which not only strengthen and stiffen the base in all directions but form Series of of the base to a mit a plentiful supply of air underneath the bottom wall of the cabinet; and series of apertures 23 are provided in the bottom Wall to admit a plentiful supply of air into the cabinetunderneath the radiator flue 24 therein. The series of apertures 23 does not extend under the air vent chamber 25 which is located under the radiator flue at one end of the cabinet.

The lower end 4of the upright walls rest upon the rabbeted shoulders 21 of the base, and the end and front walls may be secured thereon by means of angle pieces 26. The back wall sections 14 are preferably corruga-ted so as to strengthen and stidenthe same. The top frame 18 is preferably provided With inset threefold flanges 27 forming sockets for receiving and resting upon the upper ends of the upright Walls.

The inner edges ot the upri ht door frame sections 16 are provided Witi L-langes 28 engaging with corresponding socket llanges 29 on the end edges of the front Wall section 15; and the cuteriedges of the door frame sections and of the corrugated back sections are provided with off-set ianges 30 fitting in box flanges 3i formed on the edges of the end walls 13. i,

The case formed by the cabinet is completed by the doors 17 Which are hinged to the upright door sections, and the several parts of the cabinet when assembled are secured together by means of boltsv or rivets. rThe angular formation of the several joints and particularly the box flanges forming the corners of the cabinet, give the same great strength and rigidity.

The radiator lue 24 extends lengthwise from end to end of the cabinet adjacent to the bottom thereof, and its dimensions are such as to leave arconsiderable interval for the passage'ot air between the flue and the back and *liront Walls of the cabinet. A gas burner 32 is located in the end of the due which is above the air vent chamber 25; the gas burner illustrated being provided with an air mixing chamber 33 located outside the end oi' the cabinet through which gas is supplied by a pipe 34.

@ne or more air tubes 35 entend from the air vent chamber 25 upward into the radiator flue 24. These tubes are. preferably aligned underneath the burner tube 32 and serve to supply the same with the additional air required Jfor completing the combustion or" the gas which occurs Within the radiator iue; which additional air is drawn from inside the cabinet through a series of apertures 36 in the top of the vent chamber on each side of the air tubes.

The other end of the radiator flue communicates through a tubular outlet 37 with the uprightoutlet flue 38 mounted outside the end of the cabinet; and the upright lue may be surrounded by a shielding jacket 39 which is preferably open at its upper and lower ends.

The upright lue 38 is closed at end and open at its upper end and at an interval above the outlet tube oit the radiator flue, a series o apertures 40 are provided at one or more sides of the upright tlue which admit a certain amount of air to check a too rapid ilow or" air from the radiator ilue. A series ot transverse battles 4i may be provided in the radiator iluc arranged alternately in the upper and lower part of the same, which serve to impede the flow of dame from the burner, which may extend to its lowerV ritenete the outlet end of the line for heating the same throughout its length.

One or more inclined inverted-channels 42 and 42 may be mounted over the end of the radiator i'iue labove the heating element thereinto, to deflect and direct the more highly heated air therefrom toward the other end of the cabinet; and above the discharge ends of these delectors may be mounted a transverse delecting plate 43 with a downwardly inclined flange 44 on its farther end, which serves to deflect the highly heated current of air directly toward the other end of the cavity of the cabinet.

A transverse screen 45 extending the entire length and Width of the cabinet is preferably mounted immediately above the channel deflectors as by means of angle bars 46 resting upon angle brackets secured to the back and front Walls of the cabinet; Which screen prevents the clothing and other articles hangin in the cabinet from impinging the highly heated surfaces of the radiator flue and the deflectors.

' The transverse delector plate 43 is preterably slidably mounted upon the screen angle bars 46 as shown in Fig. 5, so that it may be adjusted longitudinally thereon for properly dedecting downward t-he heated air flowing from the inverted channels, so that the same Will not impinge and discolor the articles hanging in the drier.

A, plurality of tubular rack rods or bars 47 are longitudinally mounted in the upper part of the cabinet upon which the articles to be dried therein may be hung, as shown in Fig. l.

ln the use of the cabinet, which is normally closed the gas burner or other heating element is placed in operation, and the heat therefrom creates a current of air passing through the radiator flue and thence up through the outlet iiue 37. When a gas burner is used, a suftlcient amount of air is drawn through the mixer 33 from outside the cabinet to prepare the gas for combustion; but the air required for complete combustion is drawn into the radiator flue under the burner through the air tubes 85 from the vent chamber 25, which in turn draws air through the apertures 36 in the top of the vent chamber from the interior ot the cabinet, the air being drawn down from over and around the radiator due and the inclined delectors, at the end oi' the cabinet in which the heating element is located.

A corresponding amount oi air is drawn by the induced draft thus created, into the base through the apertures 22, and into the bottom ot the cabinet through the apertures 2B. located directly under the radiator due, whence it impinges the bottom and passes around the sides ofthe radiator tineE and rises toward the top of the cabinet.

The incoming air thus rising is heated the radiator Hue throughout its length,`but

of the cabinet, vand may also be again di rected downward by the deHector plate 43 so as to pass well toward the other end of the cabinet, whence it rises directly upward and thence across the top of the cabinet to the endI above the heating element, whence the suction of the vent chamber carries the current directly downward; thereby creating a definite and certain circulation of the heated air upward in one end of the chamber' and downward in the other end, 'so as to dry clothes orthe like in all regions of the cabinet.

The outlet Hue is made of a relatively large cross area so as to pass the volume of air, which is necessary or desirable for drying purposes;v and the `apertures in the wall of the Hue check'the lflow of the air so that it does not move through the cabinet too rapidly for properly performing the drying process. The air received through the apertures also dilutes the gases of combustion and j pui-,ities the same before they are discharged from the Hue. 4

For this reason, it is not necessary to conneet the outlet Hue with a chimney or other conduit, but if it is desired to do so, the connection can b e made by an extension 47 from the upper end of the shielding jacket 39, as shown in Fig. 4, and in this event the open lower end of this jacket, or apertures 48 provided in the extension therefrom,

serve to prevent any excessivev draft there,

may be in the chimney, from unduly accelerating the circulating within the drier. The same openings also serve to prevent any down draft from the chimney, caused by atmospheric conditions, from affecting the proper operation of the drier.

I claim:

1. A` drier for clothes and the like,`includ ing a normally closed cabinet, a longitudinal radiator Hue therein adjacent to the bottom thereof, and means for causing a continuous circulation of air heated by the radiator, including deflecting means for directing the air toward one end of the cabinet and downward suction means for drawing the air in t-he other end thereof.

2. A drier for clothes and the like, including a normally closed cabinet, a `longitudinal radiator flue therein adjacent to the bottom and spaced from the sides thereof, a heating element in one end of the Hue, a vent chamber under the same end of the radiator Hue interior of the cabinet and air tubes leading upward into one end` of the radiator tube, there being inlet apertures in the bottom of the cabinet and an outlet at the other end of the radiator Hue.

3. A drier for clothes and the like, including a normally closed cabinet, a longitudinal radiator Hue therein adjacent to the bottom and spaced from the slides thereof, a heating element in one end of the Hue, openings in the radiator Hue under the heating element for receiving air from the interior of the cabinet, there being air inlet apertures in' the bottom of the. cabinet under the radiator Hue 'and an outlet at the end of the radiator remote from the heating element.

4. A drier for clothes and the like, including a normally closed cabinet, a longitudinal radiator Hue therein adjacent to the bottom and spaced from the sides thereof, a heating element in one endof the Hue, there being openings in the radiator Hue under the heating element for receiving air from the interior of the cabinet, air inlet apertures in v the bottom of the cabinet under the radiator Hue and an outlet at the end of the radiator flue remote from the heating element, and deflectors over the end of the lHue containing the heating element for directing heated air currents toward the other end of the cabinet.

`5. A drier for clothes and'the like, including a normally closed cabinet, a longitudinal radiator Hue therein adjacent to the'bottom thereof, a heating element inthe radiator Hue, there being openings in the radiator flue for receiving air from the interior'of the cabinet and inlet apertures in the bottom of the cabinet, and' an upright outlet Hue leading from the radiator Hue having apertures in its side for checking the How of air from the cabinet. 6. A drier forclothes and the like, including a normally closed cabinet, a longitudinal radiator Hue therein adjacent to the bottom thereof, a heating element in oneend Aof the radiator Hue, bailles in the otherend of the radiator Hue, there being openings in the one end of the Hue for receiving air from the interior of the cabinet and an outlet from the other end of the Hue..

7. A drier for clothes and the like, including a normally closed cabinet, a radiator Hue therein adjacent to the bottom thereof, there being openings in the radiator Hue for receiving airfrom the interior of the cabinetfiand apertures in the bottom of the cabinet under the radiator Hue. v

8. A drier for clothes and the like including a drier cabinet, an outlet Hue leading therefrom and a chimney connection leading from the outlet Hue having openings to prevent the chimney draft from unduly accelerating the circulation within the drier.

JonN s. arianne.y 

